Updating: VGC noted that the Board of Los Angeles Convention and Tourism Development Commission has listed E3 2021 as a “canceled live event”.
Original story [Mon 8th Feb, 2021 20:45 GMT] The Entertainment Software Association announced it was going digital last year for E3 2021, which will take place June 15-17. Now, amid questions about what will be the future of games conferences, they’ve discussed their plans for this year.
Every summer since 1995, the Electronic Entertainment Expo known as “E3” has taken place in the US. It is one of the largest gaming conventions in the world, widely attended by the games press, and is usually one of the most important times and places for new announcements, revelations and trailers to appear for the first time.
Many of those years, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft took to the stage as presenters, but over time, several publishers have pulled out of it. In 2013, Nintendo switched to pre-recorded video announcements, in direct style, instead of onstage press conferences; EA, Sony, Ubisoft, Activision and Bethesda followed suit in the years that followed, with some studios holding their own conferences rather than having them hosted by E3.
Last year was the first time E3 failed to materialize, as the pandemic reached critical mass during the planning phase. Despite initial plans to keep a digital version, there was not enough time for it to work, so the whole thing was canceled.
Thanks to a report from VGC, we know that the three-day event will include live-streamed coverage from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. EST, including two-hour keynote presentations from ‘game partners’ – likely major development studios – and smaller streams from publishers, indies and influencers. . “Regional reruns” in Europe, China and the Middle East ensure that no one misses the news.
Game demos will be made available to the public in the weeks leading up to the event and the media will be able to remotely preview the games. There will be a “Preview Night” on June 14, the day before E3 starts, although there are currently no details on what that means.
Geoff Keighley – former E3 contributor and host of The Game Awards – plans to continue his Summer Game Fest, which he launched last year, with a cryptic tweet today indicating more news is coming in:
VGC states that it is not yet clear which publishers have signed up for this digital version of E3, but that “at least one major game company” will continue with their own showcase, instead of paying “six-digit amounts” to play at E3. to show up. .
Do you think a fully digital show is the way forward? Would you rather see this in years to come, even after we kicked the pandemic? Let us know in the comments.